URBANA, Ill. (WAND) — Multiple arrests have been made in relation to a shooting that occurred near Booker T. Washington around dismissal time on September 14.
Around 10 rounds were fired by at least four shooters about 2:50 p.m. on the 14th, according to a release from Urbana Police. When officers arrived to the scene in the 1400 block of Eads St., they found that no one had been shot and no property had been damaged.
The preliminary investigation lead police to believe that two groups, both on foot, were shooting at each other on Eads. During the shooting, one of the groups ran across Wright Street and onto Grove Street near Booker T. Washington. No one at the school was injured, nor do police suspect that the incident was related to the school.
By the next day, Urbana and Champaign detectives had identified multiple subjects related to the shooting. Based on their investigation, police determined that one group was made up of four people and the other group had two people.
Contents of a backpack carried by an 11-year-old detained by police in Champaign on September 15, 2023.
On Friday, September 15, detectives went to an apartment in the 1300 block of N. Third St. to locate one of the shooting suspects. While police were on scene, an 11-year-old Champaign boy ran out the back door carrying a book bag. He was stopped by police. His bag contained the following items:
- Two stolen Glock handguns – Both fully loaded with one bullet in the chamber
- Pro Mag Drum Pistol Magazine – Capable of holding 50 bullets
- An additional handgun magazine
- 390 rounds of ammunition
Police detained the boy for possessing the weapons and ammunition. He was not suspected of being involved in the shooting. During an interview, he said he was told to take the book bag and run when the police arrived. He was released to a guardian. The Champaign County State’s Attorney’s Office will review his involvement and decide if he will be charged.
During the Friday stop, detectives arrested a 15-year-old boy from Champaign for possessing handgun during the Booker T. Washington incident. He was transported to the Champaign County Youth Detention Center and charged with unlawful use of a weapon. The joint investigation between Urbana and Champaign detectives developed further leads on suspects.
On September 24, Champaign officers located two more suspects in Champaign. They were identified as 18-year-old Tyzerion Wesley, of Champaign, and a 16-year-old Champaign boy. The 16-year-old had an outstanding arrest warrant for gun charges in a separate Champaign case. Both were arrested for aggravated discharge of a firearm. Wesley was taken to the Champaign County Satellite Jail and the 16-year-old was transported to the Champaign County Youth Detention Center.
On September 27, Urbana detectives executed a search warrant in the 1100 block of N. Third St. in Champaign for a suspected third shooter, a 15-year-old boy. He was located and arrested in Champaign by Urbana detectives and later transported to the Champaign County Youth Detention Center. He also had an outstanding arrest warrant related to a trespass to a vehicle case from Champaign.
Urbana Police Chief Larry D. Boone released the following statement related to the shooting:
“I am no stranger to gun violence having come from Norfolk, VA, where young black men were disproportionately involved in gun crimes. Champaign-Urbana is similar in that aspect as the data presented to me shows. While I am proud of the work of the officers involved in this case, I believe there is more work to be done within the community and within law enforcement, specifically when it comes to investigating where these guns are coming from and how they are ending up in the hands of our youth.”
Urbana PD asks that anyone who has additional information or video footage of the incident please contact police at 217-384-2320. Arrangements can be made for information to be shared privately. Anyone wishing to remain anonymous may also submit tips to Crime Stoppers by phone at: 217-373- 8477 (TIPS); online at 373tips.com; or the “P3 Tips” mobile app.
All individuals are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
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